Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally but not exclusively to a method, system and apparatus for providing improved audience participation.
Description of the Related Art
The “background” description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in the background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
At large scale public events (such as sporting events, music events, etc.), modern technology has provided more varied and more innovative ways for audience interaction. For example, such events often have their own social media feeds accessible via the internet on laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc. These allow audience members (both those at the event and those watching the event remotely via, for example, television or the internet) to be constantly updated regarding details of the event, to be provided with content (such as images and videos) relating to the event, and even to instantly share their thoughts and opinions with others. Thanks to this, audience participation in large scale public events is easier and on a larger scale than ever before.
A problem, however, is that the opportunities offered for audience participation by current technology are very much focussed towards audience members who are watching remotely rather than those who are actually at the event (that is, as part of the live audience). For example, although social media feeds are excellent for those watching a televised soccer match from home (meaning that users can get real time score information, can access video highlights of the match, can share their opinion on the match, etc. whilst watching the event on television), they are not as well suited to improving audience interaction for those who are actually part of the live audience. Problems include the fact that the atmosphere at the event is harmed (because many people in the live audience are using devices such as smartphones or tablets rather than actually watching the event) and that some fans find it difficult to participate (for example, fans who are less familiar with devices such as smartphones and tablets, or children who simply do not have them). There can also be extensive technical challenges in trying to make this technology work well for the large numbers of people present at such events (for example, mobile telecommunications cells can become saturated, meaning that internet access is not available, and supplying Wi-Fi internet access to the event may be difficult and expensive).
The present disclosure aims to alleviate the above-mentioned problems. In particular, the present disclosure aims to provide a technical solution for allowing improved event interaction for audience members present at large scale public events.